Boat with bow outdrive and vertically swingable bow plane

ABSTRACT

A boat having the propulsion unit located adjacent the bow thereof with the boat hull having a wedge shaped bow and a transversely extending bow plane that is vertically swingable to facilitate planing of the boat and facilitate various specific uses of the boat. The bow plane, in effect, cuts off or slices through the top portions of waves to provide a boat which remains substantially in a stable attitude during its movement. Additional swingable planes are positioned alongside of the boat to facilitate control and stabilization thereof.

United States Patent 1191 A Primary Exaniiner-Trygve M. Blix g [76]Inventor i gg fi x gg g Rldge Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Clarence A.OBrien; Harvey B. Jacobson [22] Filed: Apr. 2, 1973 v 1211 Appl. No.:346,818 [571 ABSTRACT A boat having the propulsion unit located adjacentthe [52] U S Cl 114/66 5 R 1 14/0 5 R 114/126 bow thereof with the boathull having a wedge shaped [51] B63b 1/22 bow and-a transverselyextending bow plane that is [58] Fie'ld vertically swingable tofacilitate planing of the boat 3 1 and facilitate variousspecific usesof the boat. The

bow plane, in effect, cuts off or slices through the top [56] ReferencesCited portions of waves to provide a boat which remains substantially ina stable attitude during its movement. UNITED STATES PATENTS Additionalswingable planes are positioned alongside glolmlak l ffl-fz z of theboatv to facilitate control and stabilization awara f 3,688,721 9/l972Bennett ll5/1-6 thereo 3,467,345 9/1969 Windecker 9/6 X 8 Claims, 6Drawing Figures EQE a m 24 58 68 72 ,4 I2 26 768 Q l t I I \\\J r it e A7 I II I I l 2 5 36 36 /0 l 74 66 62 64 Molotzak BOAT WITH BOW OUTDRIVEVERTICALLY SWINGABLE BOW PLANE 2/1970 Tapp.. 114/05 R PATENTEHM 7 m4SHEET 2 0F 3 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention Thepresent invention generally relates to boat structures and moreparticularly a boat having a bow outdrive, a wedge shaped bow, avertically swingable bow. plane, additional adjustable planing devicesand intake means associated with the bow plane to enable the boat to beadapted for various specific purposes and enable the boat to remainsubstantially in a stable attitude during movement in the water.

2. Description of the Prior Art Conventional boats employ a rear mountedpropulsion unit associated with a control rudder and include a forwardlytapering hull. The operation, use and problems which exist withconventional boat structures are generally well known with one of theproblems being the pitching or rolling movement of the boat when beingpropelled in the water due to wave action. Also, a substantialpercentage of the power, used in propelling conventional boats isrequired to push the boat through the water which, in effect, requiresthat water be displaced from the path of the boat.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has for its object theprovision of a boat employing a propulsion unit oriented at the bow endof the boat hull.

Another object of the invention is to provide a boat in which a bowplane is'disposed forwardly of the boat hull and transversely thereofand supported from the boat hull for vertical swinging movement by theuse of a suitable power mechanism.

A further object of the invention is to provide a boat in accordancewith the preceding objects in which a water intake is provided acrossthe bow of the boat hull in association with the bow plane.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a boat constructionin accordance with the preceding objects in which the hull is providedwith longitudinally spaced planes along each side of the hull.

Still another important object of the invention is to provide a boatconstruction which due to the particular construction of-the hull andlocation of the propulsion unit efficiently utilizes the power suppliedto the propulsionunit and the assembly of components also provides astable water vehicle capable of operating at relatively high speeds andcapable of being utilized for various specific purposes.

These together with other objects and advantages which willbecome'subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 1 FIG. 1 is a side elevational view ofthe boat illustrating the structural features thereof.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the construction of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the boat.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the bow portion of the boatillustrating the structural details thereof.

FIG. 5 is a side elevational viewof the boat illustrating anothervariation of the hull.

' FIG. 6 is aplan view of the construction of FIG. 5.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now specifically tothe drawings, the boat of the present invention is generally designatedby reference numeral 10 and includes a hull 12 which includes a cabinstructure generally designated by reference numeral 14. The cabinstructure is defined by vertical side walls 16, amp deck 18 andtransparent window areas or ports 20 including a forwardly facingwindshield 22. This arrangement is primarily for use of the boat as apassenger vessel with it being pointed out that the hull and cabinstructure may be modified to adapt the boat for various specific uses.

The hull 12 includes a forwardly projecting how 24 that is generallywedge shaped in configuration as indicated by the configuration in FIGS.2 and 3 with the bow including a substantially verticallystraightforward edge or prow 26 and an upwardly inclined top wall ordeck 28 which joins with the cabin immediately below the windshield 22as illustrated in F 16.4.

Disposed forwardly in the cabin and forwardly of the windshield 22, thebow 24 is provided with a transverse partition or bulkhead 30 throughwhich a drive assembly 32 extends for driving association with anoutdrive unit generally designated by the numeral 34 which depends belowthe bottom of the hull and includes a propeller 36 disposed in trailingrelation to a vertical housing 38 which represents conventional outdrivestructure except that the housing 38 has been reversed so that thepropeller 36 and housing 38 are oriented toward the aft end of the boat.The drive assembly includes a suitable motor or prime mover of anydesired construction and horsepower with this outdrive unit beingsubstantially conventional except that the orientation of the housing 38and propeller have been reversed. The specific details of the driveassembly 32, motor 40-and outdrive unit together with the controlmechanism 42 therefor are not disclosed in detail-inasmuch as thesecomponents are conventional except that the outdrive unit is locatedadjacent the bow of the boat so that the boat is being pulled ratherthan being pushed as in conventional propeller driven boats. Disposedforwardly of the bow 24 is a bow plane generally designated by numeral44 and which includes a bottom wall 46 and a top wall 48 convergingforwardly to a transverse pointed front edge 50. The plates or walls 46and 48 are connected by side plates 52 with the hollow interior thereofbeing filled with foam plastic material 54 in order to maintain buoyancyeven though the skin of the bow plane 44 may be ruptured or broken. Thebow plane 44 is pivotally supported from the bow 24 by a transversehinge shaft or rod 56 to enable vertical swinging movement of the 'bowplane 44 in relation to the bow 24 and suitable power means such as ahydraulic piston-and cylinder arrangement 58 may be provided between thebow and the bow plane to vertically elevate and lower the front edge ofthe bow plane 44. Various power devices including mechanical apparatusesmay be employed for raising and lowering the front edge 50 of the bowplane.

Three planing devices 60, 62 and 64 are mounted along each side of theboat hull and are supported for pivotal movement about transverse. axesdefined by three shafts or rods 66 which are connected to arms 68 and 70respectively with the arms 68 controlling movement of the planes 60 and62 and the arm 70 controlling movement of the plane 64. The arms 68 areinterconnected by a rod-like structure or the like 72 and a suitablepower device may be provided for moving the planes 60 and 62 in unisonin which the planes each have generally a horizontal lower surface andupwardly inclined forward and rear surfaces connected together at anapex thus defining a generally triangular configuration with the majorportion of the triangular configuration being disposed rearwardly of thetransverse shaft 66. The plane 64 is oppositely arranged and all of theplanes may be actuated by suitable power mechanisms for pivoting theplanes to facilitate stability, steering control and braking of theboat.

For protecting the planes, the hull is provided with a rail 74'alongeach side thereof with the ends of the rails 74 being inclined inwardlyas at 76 and connected fixedly to the hull to provide protection for theplanes and for the hull. The width of the hull may be substantiallyconstant throughout and the width of the cabin may be substantially lessthan the hull as illustrated in FIG. 2. The portion of the hull which isengaged with the water is substantially flat and forms a continuation ofthe bottom wall 46 of the bow plane 44 when in its horizontal attitude.The hull construction may be of any suitable materials and may include ahollow area 78 to assure buoyancy with, of course, the entire closedarea of the hull defining a buoyant enclosure.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a modified form'of the boat in which the cabin14 is shortened thus leaving a substantial portion of the hull 12 opento provide a cargo space or the like. In this arrangement, the bow plane44' and the forward portion of the hull 12 is provided with passageways80 in the hull which diverge forwardly and communicate with recesses 82in the top wall 48' of the bow plane 44. This enables the bow plane tobe used as a skimmer or collecting device with rides up on top of theice and tries to break downwardly through the ice. Since the icenormally is inthe form of an arch, that is, following the curvature ofthe earth s surface, it is easier tobreak by elevating it from itsundersurface rather than trying to compact it from its upper surface. v

The horizontal bow plane effectively cuts off or cuts through the top ofthe waves thus providing a stable boat which greatly facilitates its useas a passenger carrying device as well as various cargoes which aredamaged due to the boat pitching, rolling and the like.

With the bow drive and the adjustable bow plane, any,

tendency of the boat to pitch is eliminated.

In order to further stabilize the boat while underway and to facilitatethe maintenance of a desired course, the bottom surface of the hull 12includes longitudinally extending depending flanges or ribs 13 locatedat each side and along the centerline. The side flanges are thepassageways 80 being communicated with pumps 84 or the like so thatmaterial collected through thepassageways 82 and 80 may be pumped into astorage tank or to any other desired location. Otherwise, the boatconstruction illustrated in FlGS. 5 and 6 is the same as thatillustratedin FIGS. 1-4.

The boat may be used as a skimmer for removing oil or.otherfloa tingdebris on thesurface of the water by adjusting the edge of the bow planeto a position approximately one-half inch below the water level so thatduring forward movement of the boat, material floating on the surface ofthe water will pass through the passageways into the pumps for disposalwherever desired such as a tank barge or the like. The varioushydraulic, mechanical or pneumatic actuating mechanisms can beautomatically controlled for varying the orientation thereof forautomatically stabilizing the boat. When the boat is to be used as anice breaker, the bow plane may 'be elevated to form a wave in front ofthe boat which in the. form of angled members while the center flange isin the form of T-shaped member. Also, application of the driving forceto the front of the boat serves to facilitate planing of the hullthereby greatly increasing the efficiency of use of the power suppliedto the boat for driving the propeller or propellers. The stability ofthe boat also enables it to be employed as a landing platform foraircraft or the like in which event a relatively large platform would besupported from the hull with a number of boats being connectible toprovide a runway for aircraft. Also, the boat construction of thisinvention may be effectively used as a tanker with the transversesymmetrical construction of the. hull enabling efficient use of the hullfor carrying liquids.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A boat comprising a hull including a forward bow of wedge-shapedconfiguration and having a vertical apex disposed forwardmost, a bowplane including a substantially flat bottom and a. rearwardly andupwardly inclined upwardly facing surface portion, said how planeincluding a continuous and substantially straight forward edge disposedforwardly of said apex for horizontally parting and laterally outwardlydisplacing water in front of the hull, means mounting the bow plane fromthe hull for vertical swinging movement to enable variation in theangular orientation of the surface portion and variation in theelevational position of the forward edge of the bow plane.

2. The structure as defined in claim 1 together with propulsion meansmounted on the hull adjacent the bow for pulling the boat hull inrelation to the water.

3. The structure as defined in claim 1 together with a plurality ofwater planes mounted along each side of the hull for adjustment abouttransverse axes to vary the planing characteristics of the hull.

4. The structure as defined in claim 1 together with water intake meansincorporated into said hull and bow for skimming material off thesurface of the water.

5. The structure as defined in claim 4 wherein said how plane includeswater passages in the inclined sur- 6 transverse width of the bow planebeing at least equal to the transverse width of the hull.

8. The structure as defined in claim 7 wherein said hull is providedwith a downwardly opening well adjacent the bow with the well beingdisposed rearwardly of the apex of the bow, a'propulsion unithaving apropeller type drive unit partially disposed in said well and dependingbelow the hull for propelling the hull through the water from the bowend thereof.

1. A boat comprising a hull including a forward bow of wedgeshapedconfiguration and having a vertical apex disposed forwardmost, a bowplane including a substantially flat bottom and a rearwardly andupwardly inclined upwardly facing surface portion, said bow planeincluding a continuous and substantially straight forward edge disposedforwardly of said apex for horizontally parting and laterally outwardlydisplacing water in front of the hull, means mounting the bow plane fromthe hull for vertical swinging movement to enable variation in theangular orientation of the surface portion and variation in theelevational position of the forward edge of the bow plane.
 2. Thestructure as defined in claim 1 together with propulsion means mountedon the hull adjacent the bow for pulling the boat hull in relation tothe water.
 3. The structure as defined in claim 1 together with aplurality of water planes mounted along each side of the hull foradjustment about transverse axes to vary the planing characteristics ofthe hull.
 4. The structure as defined in claim 1 together with waterintake means incorporated into said hull and bow for skimming materialoff the surface of the water.
 5. The structure as defined in claim 4wherein said bow plane includes water passages in the inclined surfaceportion communicating with the water intake means in the bow.
 6. Thestructure of claim 1 wherein said bow plane is a hollow member filledwith foam type plastic buoyant material.
 7. The structure as defined inclaim 1 wherein the bottom of the bow plane is substantially inalignment with the bottom of the hull, said bow plane having a rear edgedisposed rearwardly of the bow apex with the central portion of the rearedge of the bow plane having a V-shaped notch receiving the apex of thebow, the transverse width of the bow plane being at least equal to thetransverse width of the hull.
 8. The structure as defined in claim 7wherein said hull is provided with a downwardly opening well adjacentthe bow with the well being disposed rearwardly of the apex of the bow,a propulsion unit having a propeller type drive unit partially disposedin said well and depending below the hull for propelling the hullthrough the water from the bow end thereof.